It's all about the international action right now, although one man not involved for his country is James Maddison, the Tottenham Hotspur star having never really made his mark in an England sense.

It's a fact that almost requires a double take, but the 29-year-old has actually only made seven senior appearances for his country, a surprisingly low return for a man of his talents.

Part of the provisional squad for Euro 2024, before facing the axe, his last appearance for the Three Lions came over two years ago, with injury again hampering his chances of a recall.

From a Spurs perspective too, it's been a long while since the north London side got to witness a fit and firing Maddison in action. Is Tottenham's number ten running out of time at N17?

Should Spurs hand Maddison a new contract?

January will be here before you know it, and there are decisions to be made regarding a string of first-team stars at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, even after something of an exodus over the summer.

As Football FanCast exclusively reported, Roberto De Zerbi is keen to shift the likes of Richarlison and Mathys Tel in January, this full-scale rebuild still yet to be completed under the Italian's watch.

But what of Maddison? Set to turn 30 later this year, the playmaker ranks among the club's highest earners, with just under two years left on his current deal.

Heading into 2027, there may well be a conversation to be had over whether he merits an extension, or whether the club should look to cash in next summer, particularly considering his long-standing fitness woes.

There's a new midfield taking shape at Spurs and it remains to be seen what role Maddison has to play in it, the former Leicester City star an undoubtedly popular, charismatic figure, yet one who hasn't been able to let his football do the talking due to injury.

Absent for almost the entirety of 2025/26, 'Madders' has made just 82 appearances in total in over three years, scoring 16 and registering 21 assists in that time.

It's not a poor return, but it's also one that De Zerbi and co could perhaps upgrade upon in the near future, with there plenty of internal solutions to look to in terms of replacements.

Is Spurs' next great number ten already in the building?

Spurs have the perfect player to take Maddison's No.10

He may not have replaced him directly on the pitch, but Maddison had big shoes to fill in terms of taking on Harry Kane's jersey in north London, the pair only briefly crossing paths in the summer of 2023.

Kane's exit was inevitable at that stage, with Maddison merely given a placeholder across pre-season, before taking on the number ten amid his compatriot's move to Bayern Munich.

There's no denying that he's been a leader-like figure at Spurs in Kane's absence, but no one has got close to the club's golden boy in terms of delivering goals and assists on a consistent basis.

The Englishman remains a roaring academy success story of modern times, with there hope now that young Luca Williams-Barnett can follow in his footsteps, even at the age of just 17.

The teenager does appear to be the current youth player whom Spurs are pinning their hopes on, having notably already made a handful of senior appearances, including against Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup this season.

There's a push to see him involved even more regularly, it must be said, with Williams-Barnett memorably stealing the show in pre-season against MK Dons, arguably outshining the £185m duo of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.

He was operating in a deep-lying midfield role that day, having also been regularly used on the flanks, although it'd be no surprise to see the youngster fill that playmaking void in De Zerbi's side before too long.

The aforementioned Fernandes, a man hooked at the break against Aston Villa last time out, doesn't look particularly suited to that advanced role, while the fitness woes facing both Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski have left an opening to be filled.

Well, in Williams-Barnett, Spurs have a player who could be a genuine superstar in the making, the versatile talent already ripping it up in the academy ranks.

As per Transfermarkt, in 32 games at U18 level, he's scored and assisted 37 goals, while for the U21s, he scored and assisted 15 in only 12 appearances.

In the recent Premier League 2 clash with Manchester City, which saw Spurs run out 4-2 winners, Williams-Barnett shone in that number ten role, scoring and assisting one goal apiece, while recording the most shots (seven) and successful dribbles (four) of any player on the pitch.

He looked right at home in that role and in the number ten shirt too, with all the signs pointing to Tottenham having another academy talent who's ready to explode like Kane.

Maddison better watch out.